Big Wild Goose Pagoda: Xuanzang's Tang Tower in Xi'an
Visit Xi'an's Big Wild Goose Pagoda: the Tang tower built for Xuanzang's Buddhist texts, its UNESCO Silk Roads listing and how to plan your visit.
Photo: Hongbin / Unsplash
Contents
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔) is the square brick tower that has watched over southern Xi'an since the Tang dynasty. It stands inside Da Ci'en Temple, built to house the Buddhist texts a famous monk carried home from India.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism dates the tower to 652.[1] It is part of the UNESCO Silk Roads: Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, where it is listed as component 1442-030. Do not mix it up with the Small Wild Goose Pagoda across town, which is component 1442-031.[2] In January 2011 the national tourism authority gave its scenic area 5A status, the highest rating for tourist attractions in China.[3]
Why the pagoda matters
The tower goes back to the monk Xuanzang, who travelled west along the Silk Road and through India for sixteen years and came home with hundreds of sutras. The pagoda was raised in 652 to mark his return. His journey later inspired the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West.[4]
Chinese pagodas grew out of the Indian stupa, which first held relics of the Buddha or other holy figures. In China the form took on the look of Han-era wooden watchtowers and became a tower with square floors.[4] The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a textbook case: a brick tower built to imitate timber construction, and the earliest and largest surviving Tang-dynasty square pagoda of its type. It shows clearly how Indian Buddhist architecture travelled east and took Chinese form.[1]
UNESCO describes the whole corridor as a 5,000 km stretch of the Silk Roads, with 33 components from palaces and trading towns to cave temples and pagodas. The pagodas record how Buddhism moved east from India and how stupa design changed as it went.[5] Stand at the base and you are looking at that story in brick.
Things to Do
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Climb the tower
Inside, a staircase leads up so you can enjoy the view over the surrounding city.[4] Check at the gate that the climb is open on the day you visit, and pick a clear day, because the view is the point.
Fit it into your Xi'an day
Look for 大雁塔 on your map app and head for the entrance of Da Ci'en Temple. The pagoda area is run by a subsidiary of Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism.[3] Allow an hour or two for the temple and the tower. For the wider trip, see our China travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China: “梦想丝路国际行”走进西安. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
- [2] UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor - Maps. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- [3] Xi’an Qujiang Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd.: 线上购票 - 西安曲江文化旅游股份有限公司. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
- [4] Asian Art Museum, Education: Great Wild Goose Pagoda - Education - Asian Art Museum. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- [5] UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
It stands inside Da Ci'en Temple in southern Xi'an. Search for 大雁塔 on your map app and head for the temple entrance.
The Tang-era monk Xuanzang travelled along the Silk Road and through India for sixteen years and returned with hundreds of Buddhist texts. The pagoda was built in 652 to mark his return.
They are two separate monuments in Xi'an. UNESCO lists the Great Wild Goose Pagoda as component 1442-030 and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda as 1442-031. Check the name on your map before you set off.
Plan on an hour or two for the temple grounds and the tower. Add time if you climb.
Yes, a staircase inside leads up for views over the city. Check at the gate that the climb is open on your day.
UNESCO lists it as one of 33 components of the Silk Roads: Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor. The pagoda records how Buddhism and the stupa form travelled from India to China.
